Oscar Books

For young people or those new to the Catholic faith. This book is clear, concise, and easy to read. It is an excellent introduction to Catholic theology, designed for membership training.

I didn't give it five stars because there was nothing in the book that was new to me. If you are interested in knowing more about the Catholic church I suggest that you purchase an actual Catholic Catechism rather than the simplified, condensed version.

Fr. Lukefahr, best known for his popular "We Believe ..." catechism, has produced a valuable resource in "The Catechism Handbook". He has taken the 700+ densely-packed pages of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and condensed them to a 100-page guide.

The handbook is an excellent reference tool for the parish catechist in need of a quick refresher on a given topic before leading a discussion, or a curious Catholic who wants an overview of the Church's teachings but may lack the time to read the entire CCC.

This handbook does a good job of taking the post-Vatican II Catechism and outlining it. This small book is user friendly and provides more then just a summary of the Catechism. Father Lukefahr actually explains difficult areas and highlights what he feels are important areas.

This is an ideal book for review of the Catechism or as a primer. The sections in this small book are referenced back to the correct section of the Modern Catholic Church Catechism book. It is a quick way of reading some of the doctrine that was changed after 1900 years.

This great story could be called a psychological thriller, a horror story, or a morality play. Maybe even science fiction. It is a superb tale of the corruption within each of us. Wilde convinces the reader that Vanity is a part of every human life. The ultimate vanity is to deny this.

Very enjoyable story from a witty author.

great book hard to read because print was so small

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a fine piece of literature- a tale of excess, of corruption, of decay and of facades.
Basil Hallward, an artist, paints a picture of Dorian Gary, a handsome and vain young man, whom the artist is besotted with. Dorian Gray sells his soul for eternal youth, in a Faustian bargain, whereby all the age , decay corruption will show in the picture , while Grey's appearance will stay eternally young and fresh.

Encouraged by the hedonistic cynic Lord Henry Wotton, Gray embarks on a life of corruption, decadence and cruelty. Lord Henry is also the vehicle through which Wilde put down his many uniquely Wildesque epigrams into the novel, such as " Conscience and cowardice are really the same thing, Basil. Conscience is the trade name of the firm. That is all"; " Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love. It is the faithless who know love's tragedies"; "There is only one thing worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about" ; "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." ; " It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But it is better to be good than to be ugly." And " As for the virtuous poor , one can pity them of course , but one cannot possibly admire them".

The bargain made by Gray can only lead to eventual destruction , and the novel is a statement by Wilde on humanity and society , in the cavalier and irreverent way that only Wilde could.

"BUT THEY CAN'T BEAT US" BY RANDY ROBERTS

The 1986 film "Hoosiers", based on the true story of tiny Milan High School's 1954 state championship, told the story of legendary Indiana basketball. Certainly, the state has great tradition, going back to John Wooden and Piggy Lambert, right on up to Rick Mount, Bobby Knight and Larry Bird. Now, Purdue University history professor Randy Roberts tells a little different story about Midwestern sports. The Crispus Attacks High School basketball team from Indianapolis, a team comprised of poor, urban black kids, overcame terrific obstacles to capture for coach Ray Crowe the 1955 and 1956 state titles.
Crowe's talented squad was led by Oscar Robertson, who would go on to a hall of Fame career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. The "Big O" would also capture a Gold Medal at the Rome Olympics'. In '55, Crispus Attucks became the first all-black school to capture a state championship. In '56, they were the first to go undefeated.
Crispus Attucks "helped define and enshrine the Hoosiers' myth by being its negation," according to Roberts. This is an inspiring story of race, joy and achievement during a critical time in this nation's history. While Crispus Attucks was winning on the hardwood, hard-fought civil rights were being won for black people in the Supreme Court (Brown vs. Board of Education). What is often forgotten is that many of the key battlegrounds of the civil rights era were not in the South, but in the North--that is, the Midwest.
Roberts' story of social upheaval, racism and the dawn of a new era in politics centers on a school that was built for blacks. Actually, Crispus Attucks was built so white students would not have to sit next to black students in the 1920s. The school first had to petition the Indiana High School Athletic Association just to compete in the state tournament.
Roberts' also tells how "The Big O" spurned Indiana U. because coach Branch McCracken was said to be a racist. Indiana native John Wooden tried to get him to U.C.L.A. (can you imagine that?), but Oscar envisioned a long bus ride (he was afraid of air planes) and chose Cincinnati instead.
Roberts has written a number of sports history books. In "But They Can't Beat Us", he tells the story of Robertson, a shy kid who shined in athletics. He tells the story of Coach Crowe, who instilled his team with pride and discipline. Through hard work and talent, the Tigers' were able to forge one of the great stories in prep sports history. For fans of high school sports, and particularly Indiana basketball, "But They Can't Beat Us" is a must read.

This book is the story of Crispus Attucks rise to basketball fame despite the prejudical climate in Indiana at the time. There is a history lesson in explaining what prejudice existed and how the Crispus Attucks family dealt with it. The book cronicles the high school story of Oscar Robertson in particular and the Crispus Attuck Tigers from 1950 thru Oscar's final high school game as the number one player on Indiana's all star team vs the Kentucky all star team lead by "King Kelly Coleman". I was an Indianapolis high school resident during this period and can speak for the historical accuracy and emotional insights brought into focus by the author Randy Roberts. For those of you who enjoy basketball, this book is a worth while purchase.

In 1987, the World's Best Doctor wrote a handbook for other physicians (Kill as Few Patients as Possible), that hilariously passed on choice tricks of the trade. Now managed care has made it impossible for Dr. London to care for his patients in the exemplary fashion he laid out - and so he's written the book that will allow patients to get this excellent care on their own. From spelling out the medications and diagnostic interventions which have been proven to help prevent disease, to a list of the symptoms which mandate a visit to your doctor TODAY, this book may be lifesaving.

Not nearly as amusing, nor as heartwarming, as Dr. London's first book, "Kill As Few Patients As Possible." Still an enjoyable read, just not as much fun.

It is interesting to me that a short book such as this illuminates as much about the Kennedy administration than many thicker books for popular reading. A main difference is that the more popular readings focus on sensational stories and some try to make unsupported connections between some aspect of the political figure's personal development and that person's decisions while in office.

This short political biography ignores the bed sheet and fashion stories that dominate so many other Kennedy books. This is a book for a person with a serious interest in the Kennedy presidency. Despite its brevity, the author gives a strong presentation on the president's political style and his influence on domestic and foreign affairs. His discussion on Kennedy's significant domestic policies is of particular importance since, except for civil rights, JFK is better remembered for his foreign policies.

The writer without engaging in Peggy Noonan-like glorification of his subject (Noonan writes on Reagan) portrays JFK as a highly intelligent and astute figure developing more into a statesman than a politician.

Unfortunately, Kennedy's legacy was long ago hijacked by those who want to minimize his influence by remembering him as a youthful charmer with little substance. This is done by both conservatives (who are angered both by his civil rights efforts and his growing independence of military), and by liberals (who too are angered by his civil rights positions that moved too slowly for their taste and his general refusal to put the cart of the liberal agenda ahead of the national horse). As a result, most discussions of Kennedy center on matters that had little to do with him as the nation's leader.

Many of us (for me as a child) remember him and know him as a person whose death was very personal and traumatic. It was the first time many of us saw our parents and teachers cry. This book helps us to better explain to younger generations Kennedy's importance to the nation and to ourselves.

Burner wrote this biography upon previous works written about Kennedy. He admires Kennedy a lot because he doesn't really give any shortcomings that came about while Kennedy was President. Burners does give a clear picture about the events taking place in the book.

Sir Robert Helpmann gave the performance of his career in Justin Fleming's classic play, The Cobra, in the Sydney Opera House, as the aged Lord Alfred Douglas, set during World War Two, as Bosie looked back on his doomed relationship with Oscar Wilde. Regarded as the definitive theatrical treatment of Wilde and Douglas, the play observed among other things that Wilde was the first Irishman to leave Ireland, go to England and become Greek.

H Montgomery Hyde absolves Douglas of ruining Wilde, even finding Douglas "kindly" to younger people. This is a portrait hard to reconcile with the same Douglas who threw fits of ungovernable rage to have his way, and told various well wishers to butt out when they advised Oscar to go to France. Even the magistrate post-dated the warrant for Wilde's arrest to give him time to leave the country. Being Irish, why did Douglas insist on maintaining an Englishman's right to remain in England? Also, was it not critical that Douglas' insistance that Wilde sue the Mad Marquess of Queensberry was based on pure revenge against his hateful father?

Hyde's book is excellent, notwithstanding, as it allows us to be the judge. It is finely accounted, well researched and has the merit of considered clarity. A good read. But it should be read alongside the classic play, The Cobra.

In 1983, Sir Robert Helpmann gave the performance of his career in Justin Fleming's magnificent play, The Cobra, in the Sydney Opera House, as the aged Lord Alfred Douglas, set during World War Two, as Bosie looked back on his doomed relationship with Oscar Wilde. Regarded as the definitive theatrical treatment of Wilde and Douglas, the play observed among other things that Wilde was the first Irishman to leave Ireland, go to England and become Greek.

H Montgomery Hyde absolves Douglas of ruining Wilde, even finding Douglas "kindly" to younger people. This is a portrait hard to reconcile with the same Douglas who threw fits of ungovernable rage to have his way, and told various well wishers to butt out when they advised Oscar to go to France. Even the magistrate post-dated the warrant for Wilde's arrest to give him time to leave the country. Being Irish, why did Douglas insist on maintaining an Englishman's right to remain in England? Also, was it not critical that Douglas' insistance that Wilde sue the Mad Marquess of Queensberry was based on pure revenge against his hateful father?

Hyde's book is excellent, notwithstanding, as it allows us to be the judge. It is finely accounted, well researched and has the merit of considered clarity. A good read. But it should be read alongside the classic play, The Cobra.

At the time, I could not understand anything about poetry. And today, I still do not understand it. I have been re-reading this book lately (yes, I still have it 15 years later!), hoping to understand the appeal of poetry. Rime of the Ancient Mariner is in this one!

I got this book for a class and then lost it, since then I've been looking everywhere for it. All your favorites, and some new ones to treasure. One great little book!

I like the book "Hot Hot Hot". Neal Layton is the author and the illustrator. The book is about the Ice age. In the summer it gets hotter and hotter. Oscar cuts his hair. He cuts Arabellas too. I think children would like this book

My three year-old son and I really like this book. It's silly and quirky. A simple little fun book which will introduce kids to mammoths that lived during the last ice age.

this is the kind of book that will be treasured down through the years.not an investment of money,but rather a feeling of well being

Basically, this collection of Oscar Wilde stories is a reasonably good collection of the man's fairytales, mixing a few old favourites with some new (or at least reasonably unknown) stories; some excellent, some strange, and some, well...not so good. P. J. Lynch is the illustrator, who in my opinion is a man who can do no wrong. Some of his best are not in fact the full page illustrations, but the small pictures at the beginning and end of each stories, beautifully simple and framed only by the white of the page.

"The Selfish Giant" is probably the most famous of all Wilde's children's stories, of the giant who forbade children to play in his beautiful garden, resulting in winter claiming it all year round. Only when he tears down his walls and permits the children to play does he find happiness, especially in the discovery of a particular little boy who one day comes to claim him for his own garden...

"The Nightingale and the Rose" is a beautiful, haunting poetic tale that doesn't really come across as a children's story in content and form. A small nightingale hears the sadness of a lovelorn student, whose beloved has promised to dance with him if he brings her a red rose. Since none are in the garden, the Nightingale sacrifices herself in order to present him with one, singing of love in the moonlight whilst pressing herself up against the barren rosetree's thorn. No where is Wilde's stunning prose more obvious than here, as the Nightingale sings: "Bitter, bitter was the pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song, for she sang of the Love that is perfected by Death,
of the Love that dies not in the tomb." Just beautiful, and Lynch's garden scenes are striking - especially that of the Nightingale pressing her breast up against the thorn.

"The Devoted Friend" is an odd story-within-a-story as a Linnet tells a grouchy Water-rat about the friendship between an honest man named little Hans and a wealthy Miller: a friendship that is decidedly one-sided. Again, it is not entirely a cheerful children's story, as it ends with Hans' death and the Water-rat's complete inability to understand the moral. Overly long, the moral will probably also be lost on most readers, as its a strange ending to say the least. Illustrations are mainly pastoral scenes, but unfortunately don't compensate enough for the dull narrative.

"The Happy Prince" is the other of Wilde's most popular stories, and my definite favourite. The golden statue of the prince in the town is baffled by the reality of poverty in his city, and so employs a swallow to prolong its flying south for the winter in order to pick his jewels and gold plating and take it to those in need. Poignant, tragic and beautiful, I read this story when I was a child and it's stayed with me ever since. Lynch's illustrations are the best here, with aerial scenes that are from (literally) bird's eye-view.

"The Remarkable Rocket" is not however, one of the most memorable...in fact its downright boring. At the Prince's wedding a box of rockets are let off, including one arrogant one that is completely wrapped up in its own importance. That's about it, and yet it stretches over 17 pages. No one will blame you if you skip this one, and even Lynch seems a bit confused at how to present this story, creating cartoonish-like fireworks that don't fit in with the rest of the book.

Finally, "The Young King" is also quite long (one sentence has 125 words in it!), but compensates by fascinating imagery and beautiful, mysterious language. No other story shows Wilde's Christianity than here, but it is saved from being to preachy and moralising by the very real sense of the higher powers at work upon the Prince who adores beauty above all things, but is given several dreams (both beautiful and disturbing) that show him how this beauty is acquired. Again Lynch works wonders with his precise water-colours, though be warned there are a few rather dated assumptions of ethnicity, including the words "Negroes" and "Moors" in a negative light.

With the rest of the mysticism and violence of other stories, and the sparseness of Lynch's illustrations such language further implies that the title "Stories for Children" is misleading - surely these words could have been changed for that suited audience. This is more of an anthology for adult collectors, but such people may want to look for a more complete version - only those who adore the work of P. J. Lynch may want to purchase this book. For children, only two are appropriate, the others are too long or too complex.

I gave this book to my grandson for Christmas. He's only 9 months, but we all love reading it to him. I made him a sock monkey and gave him the book to go with it.

Oscar is a little sock monkey that belongs to a little forgetful girl named Susie. Susie's class is having a pet show. She brings her rabbit but forgets the key to the cage. Oscar sets out on a mission to deliver the key to the girl's school! Will he make it!






The story was very cute. It gave life to stuffed animals. A lot of kids think that their toys can do think like humans can.



Yes. It has a message that even little kids can do BIG things!